Janelle Monaé compares Prince to Yoda while discussing her former mentor

Janelle Monaé sat down with CBS Sunday Morning‘s Tony Dokoupil and discussed her relationship with Prince. While some might know Monaé as an actor in Hidden Figures and Moonlight, she’s an accomplished recording artist — thanks in part to Prince.

“I could always call Prince,” Monaé said. “He was always there. He really was a believer in what we were doing.”

Prince’s death in 2016 left a hole in her life. “I couldn’t call my mentor — he’s been around since my first full-length album,” Monaé said.

She likened Prince to one of the most famous fictional mentors of all time. “If this was Star Wars he was kinda like Yoda to my Han Solo,” Monaé said. “I could talk to him about anything.” (And yes, for you Star Wars fans out there she probably meant Luke Skywalker, not Han Solo. But you get the idea.)

Monaé, who identifies as pansexual, also appears to share the same combination of pride and gender fluidity Prince was known for. “I think it is important for people to be proud of their identity,” she said. “I am very proud to be a queer, young black woman in America. I think that representation is very important. I am proud of who I am.”